Continuing a Legacy

Over the weekend we celebrated my mother’s 86 years on this earth.  It took us nearly a month since her March birthday to find a time that would work for everyone due to sicknesses and other commitments, but we finally were able to celebrate her longevity.

My Mom didn’t expect to live this long.  Her own mother died at the age of 68, so 86 never even crossed her mind.  And when my Dad passed away 7½ years ago, Mom didn’t really think she would still be here today.  But God isn’t finished with his plans for my Mom yet!

Mom’s life is pretty simple these days, and her activities are few.  She lives alone with her beloved dog, and her major time of productive living has passed.  But today I’m remembering what she contributed earlier in her life and the legacy she will leave behind as a result.

My mother was a fulltime stay-at-home Mom and took her parenting role very seriously.  There are no perfect parents, but she and my Dad were earnest and consistent in their efforts to instill in my brother and me the Biblical values they felt were important – values that we also tried to pass down to our children.  I am very thankful for their diligence and the result in my own life.

There are only a few things that I am passionate about, but parenting is one of them.  My mother’s example taught me that no job I could ever have would be as important or meaningful as being a Mom.  While I am a lifelong learner and appreciate my college education, I never aspired to have any career other than motherhood.  The privilege of training the next generation to love and serve God was like adrenaline to me.  I loved every stage of my children’s lives and continue to be blessed by them as they navigate adulthood. 

I don’t know yet what it feels like to be 86.  Life has already brought me challenges that I didn’t necessarily expect, and no one knows what the future holds.  But today I am grateful for the legacy that my mother gave me and the joy of continuing that legacy.  And I choose to further that legacy in the lives of those God places in my path for as many years as he gives me before my eternity with him in heaven begins.  There is no higher calling!        

“Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.”     

Psalm 102:18